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Jean Prouvé, S.A.M. no. 506 table, ca. 1951

Derived from the prewar prototype, a metal version of the dining table base was finalized in 1951. It originated from dining room furniture that were given the “Meubles de France” award in 1947.

The model was demountable and delivered in kit form with assembly instructions, as evidenced by the protrusion of the cap-ends where the crossmember frame meets the brace connecting the bent steel legs. The base was attached to the crosspieces of the upper frame with brackets and screws.

The piece gave rise to several variants such as the Tropique one that was designed for Air France Congo in Brazzaville (Africa).

FIAC Online Viewing Rooms

For the first edition of FIAC Online Viewing Rooms, GALERIE PATRICK SEGUIN will present a fine selection of works by JEAN PROUVÉ, PIERRE JEANNERET, CHARLOTTE PERRIAND, LE CORBUSIER and JEAN ROYÈRE, prominent figures in the history of 20th century design.

Jean Prouvé, with a pioneering approach to production based on a “constructional philosophy” that applied the same principles to furniture and architecture alike, created timeless works that stood out through their unashamed esthetic. His on going concern with standardization and the modernity of his approach are reflected in the refined Direction Office chair (1951) and Guéridon Haut (1948) on display.

Selected pieces by Jeanneret and Le Corbusier from the landmark project of Chandigarh in India will also be on view. Commissioned by Nehru to construct Chandigarh — the new capital of the Punjab region — when India gained independence in 1947, Le Corbusier designed a project that would illustrate the country’s bright future. Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier’s cousin and lifelong collaborator, was entrusted the designing of most of the furniture of the city. Each piece was intended for a specific place and use, with close attention to the symbolic context and were made in local materials. The Advocate chairs (ca. 1955–56) in teak and hide upholstery for instance were intended for the High Court. Thus the furnishings provide a clear, immediate image of authority and hierarchy.

Freeing herself from conventional aesthetics, Perriand soon turned to working with wood. Her four-year stay in Japan was instrumental in the development of her practice, but it was rather after the War that she developed her own conception of housing to the full, achieving a synthesis of the traditional and the industrial. Two of her most impressive creations, namely the Desk (1952) in pitch pine and the iconic Tokyo bench (1954) that was inspired by traditional Japanese design, will illustrate the refinement of her functional yet elegant pieces in wood.

In Jean Royère’s design vocabulary, simple wavy lines of metal tubing can turn into a light evocative of a luxuriant bouquet such as with the impressive 10-branched wall light (1939) on view. Royère facetiously plays with the floral motif, that quickly becomes the source of an entire array of organic shapes. A great liberty and playfulness exude from this exquisite piece that illustrate themes dear to the decorator: the vegetal and the imaginative realms.

JEAN PROUVÉ, Guéridon bas GB 21, ca. 1947

This Guéridon bas with a Comblanchien limestone top is a rare version of the Guéridon bas GB 21 designed by JEAN PROUVÉ. With its subtle light beige colour and light wood, the low table constitutes a delicate addition to an interior.

The few examples of the Guéridon bas that were first designed during the Second World War as a low table for the Visiteur armchair underwent slight variations in size and detailing over the years. As for the other pieces of furniture Prouvé designed at that time, metal was kept to a minimum due to material shortages. Its use is here limited to a triangular bent steel armature, which three bolted sections grip three slotted and notched solid wood legs.

The idea behind the construction of its frame was that the top “should not influence the construction of the piece.”

Clearly identified in the sales catalogs of the time as a demountable piece of furniture, the Guéridon bas was initially offered in two heights and tabletop diameters in glass, marble or wood.

Gallery Tour

Experience a virtual tour of our showroom with pieces by Jean Prouvé, Charlotte Perriand, Pierre Jeanneret and Le Corbusier.

Update—Temporary Gallery Closure due to the COVID-19 outbreak

In order to protect the well-being of our staff and visitors, the gallery will be temporarily closed to the public as of Monday March 16.
We look forward to re opening the gallery soon and seeing you.
During this time let’s stay in touch via Instagram, our website and online communication!

RELEASE OF THE JEAN PROUVÉ ARCHITECTURE N.3 BOX SET

Galerie Patrick Seguin is pleased to announce the release of the ‘Jean Prouvé Architecture’ number 3 box set.

This reference work, that complements two previous box sets respectively published in 2014 and 2016, celebrates Jean Prouvé’s architectures through multiples plans, drawings, as well as archival and contemporary photographs.

Since its creation in 1989, Galerie Patrick Seguin has worked to document and promote the numerous demountable houses designed by Jean Prouvé, pioneer of the industrial production of furniture and architecture. Developing a « constructional philosophy » based on a logic of fabrication and functionality, Jean Prouvé created, from the 1930s, lightweighted and demountable architecture that still remains a reference to this day.

Galerie Patrick Seguin has assembled the most important and unique collection of these structures by Jean Prouvé, to which the gallery has consecrated a series of publications.

Divided in 3 box sets, each containing 5 monographic volumes, the series of 15 works is aimed at the general public as well as the more well-informed readership. Each book is devoted to an architecture designed by Jean Prouvé, which for the most part are either unique examples, prototypes or manufactured in very limited numbers. Richly illustrated, the volumes present in detail one of Jean Prouvés’ construction systems, the constituent elements and its assembly, both in its historical and contemporary context.

This third 5 volume box set is comprised of the following books, numbered from 11 to 15, also available individually :

Vol.11 Maxéville design office, 1948

As a participant in the French government’s policy on definitive postwar construction – too timid in his opinion – Jean Prouvé urged a thoroughgoing industrial revolution in the building sector. His immediate contribution was the fine-tuning of the axial frame constructional system he had created and patented before the War. Commissioned by the Minister for Reconstruction, he manufactured in a matter of months a display version, despite shortages and other postwar constraints. The small series of 8×12 m houses – although it took prize in the 1947 Concours des Maisons Nouvelles (New Houses) competition – will in the end go no further.
The prototype, stored at the Maxéville plant, will be mounted on site in 1952 to serve as a design office for the Ateliers Jean Prouvé, fast-growing at the time.

Vol.12 6×9 demountable house, 1944

At the end of the War, the Ministry of Reconstruction commissioned Jean Prouvé to design moveable pavilions as temporary housing for those who had lost their homes in eastern France. Fine-tuning his already patented axial portal frame system, he replied to the urgency of the situation with a quick, economical and flexible solution. “We need to run a race against time”.
This temporary solution also provided him with a chance to try out an industrial process that could be made more permanent.

Vol.13 Bouqueval demountable school, 1950

Taking part in a Ministry of Education competition in 1949, Jean Prouvé conceived an industrializable and mass-producible rural school. He saw this brief as the chance to engage in the mass production of inexpensive buildings with a wide range of application. In 1950, he is commissioned by the State to produce two school+accommodation prototypes, one in Bouqueval outside Paris, the other at Vantoux near Metz. Despite the success of the demonstration, these two schools were to be the only examples of the substantial series so hoped for by Jean Prouvé.
In 2016, Galerie Patrick Seguin commissioned the Jean Nouvel / HW Architecture studios to adapt this building. Conceived in harmony with the existing materials, the adaptation gives us a full appreciation of the characteristics from the Prouvé structural system.

Vol.14 SCAL demountable pavilion, 1940

A result of a close collaboration between Jean Prouvé and architect Pierre Jeanneret, the construction site for the SCAL factory in Issoire represents a significant step in the History of modern architecture. This major project, initiated in a context of war, will allow for a demonstration of a construction prefabricated in the plant and subsequently dry-mounted on site. Jean Prouvé will also use his axial frame constructive system for the very first time.
These avant-garde solutions – practical, economical but also aesthetically pleasing – will retain the attention of the authorities in charge of the postwar construction.

Vol.15 Jean Prouvé, his house in Nancy, 1954

Jean Prouvé’s story is closely tied with that of Nancy. In 1954, he built his family house in the city, a fine example of the technical innovations as well as of the ingenious adaptations of his creator. Mounted within three week-ends only, the Nancy house is one of his most personal creations and shows a process that is environmentally respectful. In 1984, when Prouvé passed away, the building was listed as a Historic Monument on the request of the then Minister of Culture Jack Lang.

Publisher : Édition Galerie Patrick Seguin 2019
Languages : French-English
Number of pages : 5×80 pages
ISBN : 9782909187228
Distribution : Interart-Dap

PUBLICATION – PIÈCES-MEUBLÉS

Galerie Patrick Seguin is pleased to announce the publication of the book “Pièces-Meublés” by Bob Nickas.

‘‘Pièces-Meublés’’ is the title of a two-part exhibition (1995 and 2016) by New York art critic Bob Nickas at the invitation of Galerie Patrick Seguin.
The concept of the exhibition consisted in comparing contemporary art with the leading creations of 20th century design: by inviting about twenty artists to choose a piece of furniture to interact with their work or to integrate it by creating a new work, “Pièces-Meublés” highlighted the relevance of the links and resonances between creations and creators, beyond periods and generations.

This book of more than 200 pages illustrates the two parts of the exhibition produced twenty years apart. Articulated in two chapters – one devoted to the 1995 exhibition, the second to the 2016 – introduced by a preface by Bob Nickas, this catalogue, lavishly illustrated with in situ photographs as well as archival images for furniture and architectural elements, recounts this abundant exhibition.

EXHIBITION: JEAN PROUVÉ, L’ÂME DU MÉTAL – CHÂTEAU LA COSTE

From November 25th, 2018 to March 5th, 2019, Château La Coste will be presenting the exhibition Jean Prouvé, l’âme du métal, featuring furniture and architectural elements by Jean Prouvé from Laurence and Patrick Seguin’s private collection.

Since the opening of their gallery in 1989, Laurence and Patrick Seguin have carried out promotional work aimed at rediscovering the oeuvre of Jean Prouvé (1901-1984), firstly through his furniture designs, then later through exhibiting particular examples of his architecture such as the prefabricated houses (6×6 and 6×9 Demountable houses, Ferembal house, Métropole house, Les Jours Meilleurs house, Bouqueval School, Villejuif Temporary School). During these thirty years, a large number of exhibitions in international galleries, museums and institutions together with the regular publication of books by the gallery have allowed Galerie Patrick Seguin to reveal the exceptional nature of Jean Prouvé’s creations. Recognized today as one of the central figures in the history of 20th century architecture and design, his work is included in many of the largest museums of the world and the most prestigious private collections.

Parallel to this work, Laurence and Patrick Seguin have built a unique collection of furniture and architecture by Jean Prouvé. Sixty of these pieces will be presented at Château La Coste in the exhibition pavilion designed by Renzo Piano. Furniture and architectural elements from the collection are for the most part prototypes, unique pieces, or extremely rare, notably : a Centrale table, Antony (1954), a table from Africa (1952), a Granipoli table (1939), a Présidence desk (1955), a lighted ramp from Le Mans (1954) and a swing-jib lamp from
Africa (1952), as well as various types of facades such as a porthole panel from the Casino de Royan (1951), a panel from the Fédération du Bâtiment (1949), and a sliding door from the Pavillon du Centenaire de l’Aluminum (1954). Laurence and Patrick Seguin will also lend a mobile by Alexander Calder and a gouache by Fernand Léger, both pieces offered by the respective artists to their friend, Jean Prouvé. A Richard Prince piece created from a Jean Prouvé original Antony Table will also be displayed.

There are numerous chairs in the exhibition (the different versions of the Standard chair from 1934 to 1953, the Antony chair (1955), the Cité chair (1932), the Visiteur Colonial armchair (1952), …), which sum up perfectly Jean Prouvé’s understanding and innovation in construction. The chair is certainly the element of furniture that presents the most constraints for its designer. It must meet both the imperatives of strength and ergonomics while preserving its aesthetic qualities, which are made possible by an imperceptible technical
execution that serves the strength of its materials. This principal applies to the ensemble of Jean Prouvé’s creations and is equally as relevant to his work in architecture.

www.chateau-la-coste.com